The Light to My Darkness
by AuthorAlex
Summary: Abandoned and badly injured. All hope is lost as your life slowly slips away until a group enters the safe room you are left to die in. Fear overcomes you and you think the worst. Is it the end? Is there a Light to fight this Darkness? {Reader x Ellis}
1. Abandoned

The Light to My Darkness

Chapter 1: Abandoned

Pain. Memories. Alone to rot in this neverending nightmare. You layed in a saferoom located inside an apartment of a city somewhere on the eastern side of the United States. Hope was lost as the pain from your injures shifted through your body in your attempt to get up and block the door with some furniture. In an effort to do so, you collapsed back in the same position on the floor, your vision getting blurry and your hearing fading out to the pattering of rain on the streets.

With your last strand of life, you could have sworn you heard talking outside. You thought the worst.. but no, these faint voices didn't sound familiar. Using the last bit of energy and triumph you had left in your dying body, you sat up on the wall farthest from the direction of the voices,

"Saferoom up ahead!" Said a young voice complimented with a Southern accent.

"Goddamnit Ellis, we aren't blind!" A much older, crankier sounding male snapped.

You managed to keep your eyes focused on the door and your ears on the voices, your heart pumping from fear.

A tall, dark figure appeared behind the small window of the door. At this moment, your senses were already shutting down. The voices came off as barely audible blurbs while your sight was nothing but blurry images of four figures entering the room. Colors blended with one another and you couldn't make out anything until, a white blurry figure pointed a gun at you,

"Please... don't hurt me.." Your arm jerked up in attempt to hide your face, but the world around you went black. Darkness engulfed you, fate being unknown.

_Death..._


	2. Bruises, Bandages, and Backstories

The Light to My Darkness

Chapter 2: Bruises, Bandages, and Backstories

{Hey! Thanks for the reviews and the ghost viewers! Heehee ^^ Sorry this took long to get up! School has been a butt lately but on the bright side, I have chapters 2 and 3 done! :D 4 is on the way! Also, {} these mean author's note just for future reference! C: Enjoy! ^O^}

{Suggested songs while reading; **You Found Me** by: The Fray & **Monster **by: Meg and Dia}

_"Nick! Stop!"_

_"Whoa whoa! Ay, she's still alive y'all!"_

_"A'ight y'all, relax and move over! We have to get her healed."_

_"Shit! I thought she was one of those bastards!"_

_The conman lowered his gun as the girl made a weak attempt to shield herself from the attack. He scowled as her body sunk down and layed lifeless. The eldest of the group jogged over with a med kit. Blood soaked her clothes, her face was bruised and a cut ran across her bottom lip, trickling the crimson liquid down her chin._

_"What in the hell happened to her?" The young southern boy bit back in shock at her pained appearence, "And who or what did it this to her..?"_

_Him and the eldest of the group carefully lifted the young girl from the ground and moved her to the table to be better elevated, "Damn it, can one of y'all keep this rag on her wound?"_

_"I gotcha."_

_"Hurry! Hold this!"_

_"She is not dying! C'mon now!"_

You felt the world rush around you as you came back into a living state. Death didn't take you today, but you still felt extremely drained, so drained in fact that you couldn't open your eyes, _"T-they didn't kill me?" _You thought to yourself.

_"Is she alive?" _The young, southern voice spoke up.

_"Yeah, she jus' needs some rest." _An older man spoke, the southern accent clear in his voice as well, _"She had a massive loss of blood and injuries. I wonder how a young'un like her could have gotten all of em.."_

The four, well three, watched you intently for any signs of movement. Nick, on the other hand, constantly complained that you would hold them back and didn't pay any mind_,"We already are behind goddamn schedule and now when she gets up, we will only be able to walk 2 miles an hour!"_

Your senses began to regain, but not completely. Words and voices continued to fade in and out,

_"It's sad to see such a purdy face be so broken.." _Ellis said out loud, silently cursing himself for doing so.

_"It's okay, Ellis, she will live." _A woman's kind voice said.

_"I hope so, Ro." _He smiled to match Rochelle's own reassuring one.

Their words swam through your mind and yet, you couldn't do anything. No movement. No talking. Nothing. Was this really happening or were you just dead and God was playing tricks on you?

_"She's still breathing, right?" _Ellis asked, looking at you deep in thought.

_"Yes, calm down, son." _Coach said from the corner of the room.

Time passed as you began to become fully conscious, your head pounding as every part of you ached. You slowly yet nervously fluttered your eyes open. The brightness of the room caused you to close them again until your pupils adjusted to the light.

_Huh... So that was what it's like to be nearly dead..._

"You're awake!" The young male with the southern accent yelled from across the room and made his way towards you, directing the other's attention to you.

You quivered at the new strangers and huddled to the wall, unaware that you had been moved upon the table in the safe room, which almost caused you to fall off.

"Easy now, darlin'." He regained your balance and, feeling you tense up from his touch, released you as fast as humanly possible, "Oh... Sorry, didn't want ya ta get hurt anymore."

He backed away, avoiding the look in your pained [e/c] eyes. You took in your environment, team mates, and physical state. Every inch of you was bandaged and cleaned. Studying the precise coverage, even you didn't notice how badly hurt you were.

Each of the other survivors observed you now, making you even more nervous than before as if they were trying to figure you out. The other woman in the room was first to speak up after moments of complete silence,

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" She looked at you with such care and consideration, allowing you to calm down,

"I-I don't know." You mumbled, releasing shaky breaths after each word,

"Oh Jesus... We need to get going!" Nick impaciently shouted, getting closer to you and the other woman.

You shuddered as he got approached you and covered your face, curling up in your knees. Your eyes welled up in tears from the memories that haunted and flooded back into your mind from watching him with such an apologetic look that even he couldn't place what you were feeling.

It was hard to judge everyone right now. People change and snap like that and you did not want to take any chances like the last time...

Nick stopped abruptly as Rochelle elbowed him in the stomach, "Back off, Nick." She said sternly. He didn't question her anymore, clearly something was consuming you on the inside and right now, another woman was the only way of helping you.

Rochelle waited for the cursing Nick to go back to his previous spot by Coach and turned back to you, thinking of the right words to say, "What's your name?"

You quietly gave your name and wiped your face, feeling all eyes on you, "I'm sorry for being so jumpy...It's been rough..."

Ellis' heart sank and you noticed this from the concerned look he gave. Rochelle smiled and spoke again in her soothing voice, "My name is Rochelle, the grump is Nick, Coach is the one who healed you up, and that's Ellis." She studied you for a moment and opened her mouth to talk again,

"You're safe now. You'll make it. We will give you a few more hours to rest and then we have to get back to the bridge so we can get out of here, okay?"

You sniffled and nodded, looking at the ground. Your entire face flushed when a set of work boots walked closer to you. Ellis stood in front of you and slowly kneeled down to face you,

"Miss _, are ya alright? What happened?" He asked, those blue eyes of his trying to find a way to fight the horrible events you had to endure. You noticed he mentally kicked himself for asking when you gave no reply. He was about to give up until you relaxed and figured giving your story would better aquaint yourself,

"A lot, but try not to focus on me.. You've probably heard these stories countless times before."

He just gazed at you, interested how you ended up like this. Were you really going to just spill everything to four total strangers?

_They did patch you up and all..._

You opened your mouth to speak, but quickly closed it to rearrange your thoughts;

_They seemed nice... Minus that Nick fella who was then tamed by the other woman in the room..._

Each if them listened, particularly Ellis whom remained closer to you than the others in an obvious effort to know your story.

_They would have killed you by now..._

_You are no longer alone._

Yep.

Tell them. Be strong. Make friends.


	3. Chastise and Chances

Ch 3. Chastise and Chances

{Woo! Chapter 3! I need to sleep now, but yay! Three chapters down! :3 It isn't that exciting yet, but had to get the backstory out of the way ^^ A bit of fluff! c: You have been warned! x3 Enjoy!~ }

{Suggested songs while reading: **Any Other Way **&** Just Keep Breathing **by We The Kings}

"I was close to death."

Wow, this was going to be depressing. You looked down to avoid their gazes, "I was with a group of around six," you began with a shaky voice, "They were all about my age. I thought I would be safe with them."

Your fingers nervously traced a rip in your jeans,"I was wrong... So very, very wrong."

_"I'm going to look in there!" You yelled, trotting over to a house while the rest of the group sat around and drank. The apartement looked fairly untouched, perfect. _

_The city remained eerily quiet, odd, normally it would be flooded with zombies. Your eyes wandered around, keeping your only weapon, a crowbar, at hand if needed, _

_"Hmm... Maybe the army ran by here and cleaned the city out?" _

_Your thoughts were interrupted when you thought you heard a noise. Easing your crowbar out in front of you, you peeked into each room. Nothing. You were really hoping to find a little food, but alas, it was empty, _

_"Well darn... That's disappointing." You pouted, brushing the loose strands of [h/c] hair out of your face._

_Another noise._

_Your heart pounded wildly, "Okay, time to go." _

_There was shaking, followed by growling. You ran out of the room you had been exploring to meet up with the group again, not wanting to wait around to see what had been making that noise. The eldest male, around 25, watched you run out the door,_

_"What the hell did you do?!" He stepped up to you, followed by the other boys of the group, obviously listening to what you apparently alerted._

_"Shit... he thinks I led something to them!"_

_Before you could answer, he slapped you across the face. You fell over as your hand jumped up to hold the burning cheek. The others began kicking you to the point where you began going numb, "You stupid bitch! How dare you lead something like this towards us!"_

_The pain flared in your stomach, sides, and back. Your breathing slowed as they slurred insults at you, the ground vibrating beneath your incapacitated body._

_You heard the two other girls yell for them to stop, but they were far too corrupted already. Something switched in them and their intentions were to kill you, the alcohol not helping._

_The rumbling got closer and an inhuman growl erupted from the left side of you. You tried to roll away from their beatings, pleading for them to stop, but before they could react, a large fist pounded the ground, just nearly missing your head. You looked up, eyesight getting blurry from the major loss of blood, pain sifting through your veins, to find an enormous yet muscular monster. It threw the "leader" of your group across the road, his body making a sickening crack when it hit the ground._

_"Get up! Get out of here! GO! Leave them! They want to kill you! RUN!"_

_With that, you left them to deal with the two ton monster. They shouted threats as you left above the gunfire, promising to get ahold of you._

_"Don't look back!"_

_Stumbling from the agony, you used every ounce of strength you had left in you to pick yourself up and bolt for safety. Whimpers escaped past your mouth with each step, the pain getting too much to handle. The light reflecting off of a metal surface caught your attention and you could have sworn that it gave you the strength to run for it with your last dying breath._

_The zombies weren't the only danger now..._

"And I ended up here." There was a silence as you shuddered at the last of what you heard from the group,"As I got away, they hollered at me... Saying they will find me and kill me for bringing that beast to them." A tear escaped and rolled down your cheek. You wrapped your arms around yourself and covered your face with the sleeves of your jacket.

"They won't get you now." Rochelle simply said, giving you a sense of security.

Coach came over and patted your back, giving the same reassuring smile and sense of safety that Rochelle gave. Nick, on the other hand, stood by the door, eyeing his uzi, pretending not to have heard your story.

Then there was Ellis, completely shocked and still standing in front of you. He cautiously stepped closer. This caught your attention as you looked up at him with tear stained eyes. Before you knew it, he threw his arms around your curled up form and hugged you. A hug so warm and loving, it made you feel safe for the first time.

You tensed up at his touch at first, but quickly sank into the hug and wrapped your arms around him, tears continuing to roll down your cheeks and dripping onto his shirt. He relaxed and continued to hold you close though,

"We'll protect ya. I promise"


	4. Deathly Distractions

Deathly Distractions

{Wee! Chapter 4 ^_^ D'aww, Ellis, chu are a sweetheart x3 Okay, so I forgot to put the copyright stuff in my past stories so **I do not own Left 4 Dead 2 (nor Ellis -pouts). ;-; **Anyways, enjoy! C: }

{Suggested songs for your face while reading; **Secret Valentine **by We The Kings & **Alice **by Avril Lavigne}

_"We'll protect ya. I promise."_

A promise that comforted you in this nightmare. Something you can hold onto during dark times.

You got up from the table after taking the pain pills Coach offered you, their effects finally kicking in. A whole new you!

It was about time to get going. You grabbed a golf club and glanced at the table of artillery.

_What to choose?_

Ellis noticed your situation and came over, eyeing the left over weapons,

"Here, try an Uzi."

He placed the smaller gun in your hands and helped you hold it, his hands much larger than your own. Must be a bass player,

"How's that feel for ya?"

Your fingers traced each detail as your hands weighed the new cutting edge weapon. It fit your dainty hands perfectly and didn't seem to weigh much,

"It's perfect. Thanks, Ellis!" You smiled shyly as he tipped his hat at you. A lovely shade of pink began to form at your cheeks,

"Oh! I should probably teach ya how ta reload and shoot it." Ellis walked back behind you and brought his hands around each side of you to position your hands on the gun,

"Alright now, put yer finger on the trigger."

"Yes! Good. Now aim."

"Hey! You're a natural!"

"Okay, for this type of gun, hold the trigger down. It's a fast action weapon unlike a shotgun which only shoots one bullet per trigger pull. This one here has 50 per clip. Try shooting at a target and then I'll teach ya how to reload."

You nodded, your body heating up from him being so close to you. Ellis backed up from you as you went over to the door, slightly sticking the end of the gun out from the bars of the metal door. A lone zombie stumbled in your view. Hold. Aim. Fire. You pulled the trigger, staggering from the small force released from the weapon, and shot the monster. The bullet shot off it's arm, hit a wall, and then pierced it's skull. Headshot, 

"Good job young'un!" Coach cheered from beside you,

"Nice!" Ellis beamed, admiring the work you did.

A smile tugged at the ends of your lips, ignoring the gore in front of you. Gore, guts, and blood were not always your strong points, but time to get used to it now.

Ellis jogged to your other side and pointed to the parts of the uzi, "To reload, press this- yeah! That."

_Click_

The clip dropped from the bottom of the gun, slipping past your hand, and into the mechanic's own waiting hand,

"Now just put it back in and click it in place."

You pushed the clip back into the uzi.

_Click_

"Perfect! Get used to that and you'll get faster and faster each time." He handed you some extra ammo and went to pick up his supplies. You thanked him again and stared after him.

_Man he was cute! That goofy grin he gave fit his adorable yet naïve personality perfectly._ The apocalypse wasn't so bad afterall and you made new friends!

"Hey princess!"

_Nevermind..._

"Get out of Wonderland and let's get going!" Nick yelled to you, glaring with that cocky look of his. Normally, you were afraid of someone so... outspoken, and non-caring for anything with or without a beating heart, but seeing how the group handled him before made you feel better around him,

"Nick, leave her alone. She's been through a lot." Ellis pleaded,

"Seriously, I'm considering leaving _your _ass behind." Rochelle snapped at him,

"Mister, I don't think I like your attitude." Coach put simply.

"Whatever, I'm ready to go kick that biker greaseball's ass. " Nick grunted and began climbing the stairs just outside the saferoom, taking whatever he had been holding back out on the zombies,

"Like Ro said, you'll get used ta him." Ellis whispered and followed him out.

What a sweetheart- No! NO. Stop. Don't be distracted by him. Don't get killed by-

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Rochelle asked, looking between you and Ellis. Noticing you had been staring, you snapped out of it and followed them out the door. Time to get back out there and fight,

"Huh? Oh yeah! Ha, I'm fine. Thanks." You gleamed at her own confused look in attempt to hide the fact that you had just been drooling over Ellis just a minute ago,

"Haha, alright [name]." You thought you saw her wink and giggle to Coach,

_"I think she knows something..."_ You thought to yourself, trying to hide the redness overcoming your cheeks.

_Smooth._


	5. Entering Hell (And Sewers)

{O.O Uhm, hai... owo I'm alive everyone! :D -gets tomatoes and a hunter thrown at me- Sorry! School has been rough these past few weeks so writing wasn't an option ;-; but LOOKY! Chapter 5 is here! YAY! Enjoy! C:}

{A song for you while reading: **Miss Murder **by AFI}

Hold. Aim. Fire. Hold. Aim. Fire. Hold. Aim. Fire. RELOAD! Hold. Aim. Fire. Hold. Aim. Fire. Hold. Aim. Fire. RELOAD!

Hey, this wasn't so bad. After the first few rounds, shooting and reloading was an ease, almost an instant action! You're getting to be such a-

_Cough, wheeze._

You centered your hearing on the sounds of what has been so fittingly named, a Smoker. The wheezing continued. An inhuman scream echoed out from the roof of an apartment and the long, slimy tongue came your way. You turned and shot it off track as it fell limp to the ground. Your eyes scanned back the appendage to its owner and shot the Smoker dead,

"Badass." You mistakingly said out loud, finishing your previous thought.

Rochelle giggled and high fived you, "Nice! I didn't know you were such a good shot!"

"The girl's a fast learner!" Coach grinned, shooting the remaining zombies in the area.

Ellis whistled and went up to you, eyeing the smoke in the distance coming from the dead Smoker, "Haha, taught her everything she knows! I knew she could do it!"

"Ellis?"

"Yeah, Nick?"

"You're pathetic."

"And you're an ass." You snapped, "Plus, I've only known you for an hour. Some first impression you've made."

_Wow, your first outburst.._

"Don't try to flatter me, sweet cheeks." He gave you a smug grin, but quickly glared at Ellis whom was laughing hysterically at your retort,

"I like her. She's already tired of your shit, Nick."

"I hate you, Ellis."

"Well, I still like you, Nick." Ellis gave his trademarked goofy smile and moved on as you followed after him to leave the gambler cursing the both of you.

Finally. People you can relate to and get along with for the most part. They were growing on you already!

-Lame Page Break-

Two Chargers, three Smokers, two Hunters, six Boomers, four Spitters, two Jockeys, a shit-ton of zombies, and a crying witch in a pear tree.

No, really. She was by a tree.

Now, the sewers,

"Whoa, shit!" Nick nearly fell over the broken staircase right into the sewer water. You and Coach grabbed him by his suit to prevent him from landing face first in- well, what he said,

"So... We have to jump down there?" You questioned, cupping your nose from the putrid stench arising from the area below,

"Sadly, yes." Rochelle answered, not looking too thrilled about sloshing through the sewers either,

"Great." Nick snorted,

"Alright well... Who's first? I vote Suit." You said, pointing your thumb back at Nick. He gave you an "I will take this gun, and kill you" look,

"We don't have time for this, y'all!" Coach reprimanded as he jumped down on the only seemingly dry spot below,

"C'mon [name]!" Ellis hopped down and waited for you,"If it's heights you're worried about, I gotcha!" He smiled and waited with his arms wide opened.

_He thinks it's jumping and not walking through a disgusting sewer that is the problem. Cute._

You couldn't help but grin at his offer, even though you weren't exactly thrilled about going in, you didn't mind jumping into his arms.

You bent your knees slightly and hopped down. Ellis grabbed you by the waist and slowed your fall, "Thanks friend."

He nodded and stared at you for a moment until Rochelle looked down at the both of you and called out,"Here I come!"

"We'll catch you!" You yelled back, opening your arms to her and giggling uncontrollably.

She let out a hearty laugh and jumped down to you two. Nick still remained on the staircase,

"I'll catch you too, Nicky, even though you were a huge ass before!"

"Whatever." He hopped down like it was nothing, yet you couldn't help but notice the look of disgust that plastered on his face.

The group laughed at the look he gave. Coach even chuckled at the poor conman's pain. You agreed with Nick on this one, but you did not show it.

Before walking through the water, you rolled your jean legs up, Rochelle complimenting your smart idea and following your lead, "Great day to dress fancy, eh Nick?" Ellis joked, elbowing Nick in the side,

"Once again, I hate you Ellis."

"But I still like you, Nick." The mechanic turned away from him and followed you and Rochelle to catch up to Coach,

"I am breathing shit air into my lungs. It is being absorbed into my bloodstream. I am literally full of shit." Nick complained as he began to walk through the water after minutes of irritated and repulsed groans,

"Hey, Nick! Splash fight!" Rochelle yelled to him,

"NOOO!" He yelled back, nearly falling over from trying to get as far away from everyone as possible. You nearly lost it right then and there, but immediately stopped laughing when Nick gave you a deadly glare,

"I have to agree, this is disgusting." You commented in attempt to ignore the fact you were walking in toilet water.

Nick snorted, "No shit."

"Actually, yes shit." You motioned your hand towards the water and grinned towards the glaring conman,

"Now would be a great time for a Hunter.. Maybe even a Charger." You said sarcastically, eyeing Nick's reaction once more,

"Cupcake. Don't test me." The conman said threateningly. Your eyes widened at his deadly glare and it immediately shut you up once more,

"We're almost out!" Coach called out in order to ease everyone's anxiety. A ladder was so ideally placed at the end of the crappy journey to climb up and get out,

"Oh hell yes!" You picked up your speed and got up the ladder first, shaking the disgusting liquid off your legs. Nick was right behind you, figuring he had probably followed your lead, "I will never... Ever! Go into sewers again."

"I wouldn't speak too soon." Rochelle said, going ahead through one of the two tunnels. The five of you went down and found a gate with a button. Probably alarmed...

"Let's go!" Ellis yelled, rushing over to the button as soon as everyone reloaded. A loud ringing echoed throughout the underground tour as well as the eerie roar of infected,

"Ellis! What did you do?!" Nick screamed over the alarm,

"We don't have time for this! Run!" Coach hollered, jumping down into more of the ghastly sewage,

"No, not again." Nick groaned as you and him were the last ones to jump,

"Stop being such a wuss!" You yelled, pushing him over. Nick stumbled to regain his balance, just nearly falling into the water. You hopped after him and began running before he could scold and, or insult you.

At any moment, it felt as if you were going to slip or something was going to drag you down into the sewage.

The water slowed your running and yet, the infected didn't seem as affected by it. They came at your group with great speed, wanting to rip the flesh from your body in a bloody, horrid array of attacks,

"Hey look!" Ellis called out, noticing a red ladder emerging from the dimly lit light above.

You and Nick were in the back, shooting the infected that would be troublesome during the short climb up,

"Ladies first." You smiled grimly at Nick as he gave you a nasty look before climbing. You followed after him. The sound of creaking metal erupted from underneath the group's feet from everyone running at the same time,

"Go!" Ellis yelled, pressing the button once more. As soon as the gate opened, you guys were off again. A large tunnel was seen just a few feet away,

"Through there!" Rochelle said just as anxious as anyone to get out,

"Thank The Lord!" You said cheerily, the power of whatever hope that was left in you giving your legs the strength to keep going. Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain. IGNORE. THE. PAIN,

"Ah! Burning.. Goo.. Shit!" Nick growled, the path being blocked by the sizzling acid in which was mixing with the murky water. The (ugly as fahk) infected came towards the group as you shot it down before it could touch you, the liquid pouring from the corpse and into the water surrounding your legs. There was a sudden burning sensation on your exposed skin from rolling your pants up,

"Oh God!" Your gun dropped into the water as your hands flew to your leg. At the same time, you tried to move away without falling over and getting killed. The pain was too intense to ignore now,

"What in the hell was that thing!?" You called out frantically looking for your group. You limped into the tunnel as soon as the acid had buffered, knocking down remaining infected with your golf club since you were unable to find your fallen Uzi.

This is the longest tunnel EVER!

Your eyes adjusted to the terrible lighting at the scene up ahead. The four were waiting for you and fighting off the none stop stream of infected,

"There she is, y'all!" Coach gestured towards you. Everyone began to cover you as you slowly made your way towards them,

"Guys... Guys... That ugly ass zombie really screwed up my legs." Pain continued to flare up the burned skin with each step. Tears began to form behind your stubbornly closed eyelids,

"Easy girl. We are almost there." Rochelle reassured.

You nodded and continued smacking away the zombies with your melee weapon as everyone else shot. Soon enough, all of you were able to climb the ladder and stairs leading up to the final safe room of the city.

A charger appeared at the end of the stairs, just your luck, and charged towards the five of you. Thankfully, as the charger was charging, bullets pierced it and you finished the kill with one final blow to its face.

_Leveled a charge._

"Safe room up ahead!" Ellis sang out,

"Thank GOD we are out of the sewers." Nick added.

You limped over to the door as the others jogged in.

_"Damn I'm so much weaker than them..."_

"Let's go! Let's go!" Nick screamed impatiently,

"I-I'm going as fast as I can! Don't get your trousers in a bunch!" You snapped back. Ellis and Rochelle came out and helped you in,

"Oooh..." You moaned sorely, sitting on one of the boxes within the safe room and reaching for your health kit,

"Damn, did the Spitter bitch do that?" Coach asked, looking over your irritated skin,

"Yeah... It was kinda hard to avoid the acid when it was mixing with the water." You said looking down at the contents of the health pack. You reached for some peroxide and, with a shaking hand, poured some on the burned skin. You let out a yelp of pain and shut your eyes as everyone turned to you,

"Heh sorry." You reopened your eyes and continued cleaning the burns. Your legs weren't as bad as they felt, just a bit red and aching. Finally, you wrapped your legs up with bandages and leaned your head back on the box with relief,

"Much better." You said, never making eye contact with the others,

"We'll rest for a few minutes, y'all, but then we gotta get going. Those folks on the bridge are waiting for us." Coach stated. It was obvious that he too wished time would freeze and there would be a few moments of relaxation before heading out once more.

There was a moment of awkward silence until...

"Hey Nick, there's a turd on your shoulder." Ellis joked

"I'm not even going to look."

Yep.

Much better than the awkward silence.


End file.
